Leadership Styles and Teaching Staff Performance in Rwandan Higher Education

Purpose: The primary aim of this research is to identify the most influential factors affecting employee performance in private universities in Rwanda. The study specifically investigates how gender, educational level, employee involvement, and institutional factors such as compensation and leadership styles contribute to workforce outcomes. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study employed a quantitative research approach. Six private universities are the primary sources of the target population (Staff), ensuring diversity across all departments. 279 staff members were randomly selected using a stratified random sampling method, to ensure that they came from all staff characteristics. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on individuals' characteristics, leadership expertise, motivation, and university policies. The data were cleaned to remove irrelevant and incomplete responses. Descriptive statistics and logit regression modelling were used for the analysis. Findings: Employee involvement and female gender were statistically significant predictors of higher employee performance, with odds ratios of 1.586 and 1.051, respectively. In contrast, traditional factors such as educational level, compensation, leadership style, professional development, and job satisfaction were not statistically significant predictors in the model. The results emphasise the importance of participatory leadership and gender inclusion in enhancing employee outcomes. Research Limitation: This study is limited to private universities in Rwanda and relies on self-reported data, which may affect generalizability. Practical Implication: The results suggest that management in higher education institutions should prioritise employee engagement strategies and gender-inclusive policies to enhance staff performance. Social Implication: Consistent with Rwanda’s Vision 2050, this study underscores the importance of inclusive leadership and employee empowerment in fostering an innovative and equitable academic workforce. Originality / Value: This research contributes localised empirical evidence to the limited body of literature on employee performance in the higher education sector in sub-Saharan Africa, specifically highlighting the roles of involvement and gender in shaping performance outcomes.